Thank God It's Friday

I'm not usually a "Thank God It's Friday" person, but I've been looking forward to this weekend. I am having a couple of days off work next week and it will feel like a mini holiday. One of my sisters is singing in a cabaret showcase on Monday night, and I'm heading down to Melbourne on Sunday so that I can see her perform. I'm flying back on Anzac Day. The way this has worked out, it's like having my weekend to kick back and relax (in a "go to the gym and be active" kind of way) and then having a mini-break in Melbourne.

This morning I did the interval run that I didn't do yesterday - 15 mins at 6/10.6 km/h, followed by 5 mins at 9 km/h and then a cool down and stretching. I was tempted to keep running because I was feeling really strong and well within my comfort zone and the 3km mark was really close, but I had to catch my bus. I didn't want to leave out the stretching. One of these days I'm going to get to the gym with plenty of time to spare!

I felt really good about the run this morning. I hadn't been sure that my knees would be up for it - Body Jam is a little hard on them, as is squash, but I felt fine when I was walking to the gym. Because I caught the bus, I also got the extra 15 mins of walking that I do on the trip. You have to love that incidental exercise.

This evening I ran through my weights session again. It's already getting easier. I am constantly amazed by how quickly the body can adapt to new things. A week ago I couldn't manage some of these exercises. Even my modified chicken routine is getting easier. There's certainly no squawking now.

Sarah, triceps pushups are done with a different arm position. You keep your hands close to your body and your elbows in close to your sides. It feels really weird at first, and I only do baby ones at present.

I signed up for the Mother's Day Classic 8 km run today, and I ordered a t-shirt. Pink is one of my colours, so I can see myself wearing this at the gym for a while. I am looking forward to the run. I was looking at the course today, and I think I might go and run it some time over the next few weeks, just to see what it's like. That will be a novel experience, knowing where I'm going. At least any hills won't be a surprise.

Over the weekend I've promised myself that I'll ride my bike down to the park where the Group Fitness Challenge is going to be held. I'm not all that keen on riding, so it will be a mini challenge for me. The encouraging comments I've been getting from the cycling fiends out there have really helped. Thanks to all you crazy bike riders.

I'm can't see myself becoming a cycling field though. I nearly booked into RPM today, but I got over the impulse by remembering that I don't like it. I've only been taking that class because I've been encouraged to do it by Leanne and by Krissi. I'm pleased that I gave it a go - it was great for my cardio fitness and it was a serious challenge for me - but I'm over it now. Instead, I'm going to see if I can get myself to the gym for the Step class. I used to love Step years ago and I figure if I'm going to the gym on the weekend I may as well do something I enjoy.

I'm doing some forward planning for my exercise over the next few days. On Saturday, I'm going to do Step and go for a bike ride. I'll do a treadmill session here on Sunday before flying home. Running around the creek is a nice easy option for Melbourne, but it doesn't get me any points in the Biggest Loser Challenge. I'll get myself to the gym in Yarraville, and do weights on Monday and a treadmill run on Tuesday. I might be able to pick up a class for extra points if my timing is good, but I'm not going to stress about it. I'll run around the creek on Wednesday morning, as I don't think the gym will be open in the morning on Anzac Day. I fly back at lunchtime so I'm playing squash with Murali in the evening as usual.

I'll have to be careful with my packing. Lately I've been so focussed on making sure I have running gear with me that I forget to pack ordinary clothes. While I'm in Melbourne, I intend to catch up with a few people who haven't seen me recently. I get a real kick out of the double take that people do. :-)